To what extent is the EU now a superstate?

2752 WordsApr 12, 201412 Pages

To what extent is the EU now a ‘superstate’?
What obstacles are there to further European Integration?
(45 mark)
To some extent the EU has become a superstate due to federalist features that combine the member states of the European Union closer together. For Eurosceptic British who oppose the further integration between the states have defined the EU’s superstate to be a huge, centralized Brussels Bureaucracy limiting the sovereign authority of member states. This can be controversial as those in favour of the EU would prefer to grant some powers to a central body as they can achieve benefits in return for example the single market.
There are features that are entailed within a federal state that the EU’s super state…show more content…

Political participation between the states is clearly low therefore stands as an obstacle due to lack of support by the states.
As the EU includes 27 states therefore they would inevitably face difficulties due to the diverse range of national interests. On the other hand increasing numbers of policies are decided on a supranational level and therefore speed the process, for example decisions relating to trade or agriculture. However vital policies such as Defence remain intergovernmental, as do decisions such as the accession of new states. The effect of recent economic crisis has made an impact on the creation of EU superstate. The global downturn, which originated in 2007 created the ‘Eurozone’ crisis. As a result EU bailouts have been organized for Greece, Ireland and Portugal. The fear of the crisis extending further across Europe has caused a loss of confidence in the EU, and in particular the euro. There has even been speculation that Greece may have to exit the ‘Eurozone’. Alternatively it has also caused some to call for further integration, arguing the crisis has shown the need for tighter budget rules throughout the EU.
These factors have slowed down the process of further integration preventing the EU of becoming a superstate as they have bound the EU becoming closer due to the fundamental aim of intergovernmetalism wanting to maintain their national sovereignty in which may be threatened if the EU was to become a superstate. However,

sufficient to make that body a workable
whole.
A fully integrated European Union could be seen to have two possible
outcomes. Either a)A Federalist or ‘stewed’ union, where all member
states give up their individual sovereignty and form a superstate that
would be an economic world power, or b)A Confederalist or ‘salad bar’
union, where each member state has its own place in a continental
alliance, maintaining national sovereignty and individually contributing,
through trade and cooperation

Democratic Deficit in the EU
The question over the legitimacy of the EU has been a nearly
continuous debate and many commentators appear to agree that the EU
suffers from a severe ‘democratic deficit’. There are many reasons why
this perception is so widespread. As a multinational body it lacks the
grounding in common history and culture upon which most individual
polities can draw. However, this should not necessarily disqualify
the EU from being treated as a democratically

Britain has consistently supported the enlargement of the European Union (EU). Both the former Conservative, and the current Labour governments have always presented favourable rhetoric for the ‘widening’ of the EU. This apparent consensus on European policy belies the fractious nature of opinions in Britain over the future of Europe. The rough undercurrents of Britain’s contingent support for the intergovernmental vision of the EU reflects just how complex and protracted the political discourse on Europe